News

After leaked announcements on Nikon’s Romanian and Canadian RSS feeds and website, Nikon has officially announced their latest DSLR- the D5100.

As a follow up to D5000, a discontinued DSLR model with a 12.3 megapixel sensor, the new D5100 will feature a 16.2 MP sensor- impressive for their advanced-beginner  DSLR. Other new, innovative features of the D5100 include a “night vision mode” with stable ISOs up to 102400!

The D5100 has also kept up with Canon’s latest DSLR video innovations with 1080p full HD video at 30 fps, special effects when shooting video, and an EXPEED video processor.

Other specs include a new HDR feature, standard ISO 100-6400, quiet shutter mode, side-swivel LCD screen, and an EN-EL14 battery. The D5100 is expected to ship soon to US and Canadian distributers, and will retail for $930.

Hopefully, the improved video functions of this new model and increased image sensor will attract more underwater photographers than its D5000 predecessor, which failed to find an “underwater audience.” You can find out more from the press release below or by visiting Nikon's official website.

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When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the product mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner -- Backscatter.com.

Nikon D5100 Canada Release
Mississauga, ON, April 5, 2011- Today Nikon Canada announced the new 16.2 megapixel Nikon D5100 digital SLR, designed for those ready to step up and be artistically expressive with a versatile camera. The NikonD5100 digital SLR houses a host of new and innovative features aimed at giving photographers the tools to shatter creative constraints and tell stories with amazing image quality and stunning HD movies.

Designed to enhance the shooting experience, the Nikon D5100 includes an impressive new 3-inch, sharp 921,000-dot Vari-angle LCD screen and full 1080p HD movie recording with full-time autofocus. The 16.2 megapixel D5100 is also the first Nikon digital SLR to provide in-camera effects that can be applied to photos and movies, putting more tools of creative expression at the users fingertips.

Our newest digital SLR offers a wide range of options users can apply to photos and videos as they shoot, or in-camera after the shots have been taken, transforming them into works of art, said Gregory Flasch, National Advertising and Communications Manager at Nikon Canada Inc. The in-camera Special Effects Mode presents many creative possibilities, all at the twist of a dial. It’s like having 24-hour access to a digital editing studio.

Ready for the Adventure of Life

The D5100 allows photographer s of all levels to confidently execute new and creative ways to tell stories with amazing color and clarity. Whether shooting over crowds or down low from a toddlers point of view, the swing-out style, Vari-angle LCD screen makes it easy to compose and share great images. Displaying even the most subtle details with clarity, the super sharp LCD has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 921,000-dotresolution with the ability to pivot 180 degrees horizontally and vertically.

To further test creative boundaries, photographers can take advantage of the D5100s in-camera Special Effects Mode. Applied to either stills or D-Movies, these innovative effects are easy to implement and add a high level of creativity. By selecting the Effects position on the mode dial located on top of the camera, photographers can easily apply effects such as Selective Color and choose up t o three different colors while the remainder of the scene is converted to mono chrome. Color Sketch creates photos and a stop-motion movie in a color full sketched drawing style, while the Miniature effect records photos and high-speed movies to bestow a feeling of a mini-scale scene.

To record photos in extreme lighting conditions or to produce movies with a gritty appearance, the new Night Vision mode calls upon Nikons pro digital SLR low-light technology to offer extreme low-light capability by enabling the camera to shoot up to a super-high 102,400ISO. In addition to the Effects mode, users can create photos with amazing tonal range by selecting the high dynamic range (HDR) function within the camera. With this selected, the D5100 will automatically bracket up to three exposure stops with two images in rapid succession to produce a finished photo with an amazing range of midtones and highlights that wouldnt otherwise be possible in a single shot. Additionally, Active D-Lighting can be selected and combined with HDR for even more dramatic effects.

The versatile Nikon D5100 digital SLR will motivate shooters to further explore creativity with its advanced camera features including full manual controls (P,S,A,M on the mode dial) offering the ability to manage the cameras aperture and shutter speeds. Once a photo is captured, photographers have the flexible retouch menu at their disposal to apply additional in-camera effects and editing options including color and filter effects, red eye correction and NEF (RAW) processing.

The remarkably wide ISO range of 100-6,400 (expandable to a staggering 25,600 ISO) allows photographers to shoot confidently in outdoor and indoor low-light situations, even handheld with low noise. In challenging lighting conditions such as when a subject is backlit, Nikons Active D-Lighting feature keeps shadows and highlights consistent for even exposures.

To further unleash creativity, the Picture Control system allows the choice of Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, or Landscape settings to apply a personal look and feel to pictures, and the versatile Scene Modes let photographers choose from Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-up or Night Portrait for stunning results in just about all possible lighting conditions.
Create Full HD Movies.

The Nikon D5100 captures full 1080p HD movies with full-time auto focus. Users can quickly switch focus modes to stay with the action through a variety of AF functions, including Face Priority which can track up to 35 human faces, Subject Tracking and normal or wide-area autofocus. To activate movie mode and Live View, a new switch is positioned on the top of the camera near the shutter button for improved ergonomics and easier access.

The D5100 digital SLR offers variable frame rates and resolutions, and can record 1080p at a cinema-like 24 frames per second (fps). Alternatively, for playback on HD devices, it can record at 30 fps or a web-friendly 720p at either 24 or 30 fps. All clips can record for up to 20 minutes in the AVC-HD H.264 codec. Once recorded, movie clips can be trimmed in the camera to save time in post-production. Whether utilizing a wireless or hot shoe-mounted microphone such as the new ME-1, sound can be recorded via the stereo microphone input for professional audio results. Captured movies can be easily shared via HDMI output, and controlled remotely with HDMI CEC compatibility.
Superior Image Quality

The 16.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor is capable of capturing images that erupt with color, offering amazing sharpness and clarity to create images and full HD movies even in low-light conditions. Coupled with Nikons exclusive EXPEED 2 TM image-processing engine, images are brought to life with vivid colors and amazing contrast, accurate exposure and low noise levels resulting in brilliant image quality. The EXPEED 2 TM engine also drives the quick 11-point AF system on the D5100 to provide for rapid focus acquisition even on fast-moving subjects. When shooting action, split-second shutter response and four frames per second burst rate make sure no moment is missed, forever putting to rest the story of the one that got away.

Whether shooting lush wilderness landscapes or an urban skyline, theD5100 utilizes Nikons exclusive Scene Recognition System to analyze subject information from a database containing more than 30,000 images to optimize focus, exposure, i-TTL flash exposure and white balance. To assist in creating amazing imagery, the Scene Recognition System reads data from the 420-pixel 3D Color Matrix Meter RGB sensor that examines the scenes brightness and color data then optimizes the cameras performance prior to the actual exposure.

An entirely greater world of creativity will open up to photographers when adding versatile AF-S NIKKOR lenses to the equation. With a wide range of focal lengths and versatile features, AF-S NIKKOR lenses help to create a variety of photo perspectives to images and movies such as the ability to isolate subjects with a shallow depth of field or zoom close to the action from a far. Combining the D5100 digital SLR with NIKKOR lenses also delivers the sharpness essential for HD movies, and Nikons innovative Vibration Reduction (VR) II technology helps to eliminate the effects of camera shake.